Funerals for two victims at Cummins Falls this week

BY LINDSAY MCREYNOLDS

Posted 7/11/17

Funerals are being held this week for the two victims of flood waters at Cummins Falls, where a sudden surge of muddy water Wednesday afternoon swept away some and trapped dozens who were assisted to …

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Funerals for two victims at Cummins Falls this week

Posted
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 11:52 am

BY LINDSAY MCREYNOLDS

Funerals are being held this week for the two victims of flood waters at Cummins Falls, where a sudden surge of muddy water Wednesday afternoon swept away some and trapped dozens who were assisted to safety by several rescue crews.

Services for Peggy McDaniel, 73, of Paris will be held today at the LeDon Chapel of Ridgeway Funeral Home in Paris with burial following in Memorial Cemetery.

McDaniel was among dozens who were enjoying the popular waterfall at Cummins Falls State Park on Wednesday afternoon, when what was described as a "wall of water" suddenly engulfed swimmers and washed them downstream.

Rescue crews sprang into action and brought about 40 people to safety, but were unable to find McDaniel until Friday afternoon, when her body was spotted by a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter pilot about a mile and a half from the falls.

McDaniel was a mother of five and grandmother of 10 and worked for many years as a nurse and a beautician.

"She was very active and ran several 5K races," according to her obituary. "She was very creative and enjoyed quilting, gardening and spending time with her family. She also enjoyed attending church with her children and grandchildren."

Her family has asked that memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

McDaniel's 16-year-old step-grandson, Dylan Thomas, was with his step-grandmother at Cummins Falls last week and was hospitalized at Livingston Regional for injuries he suffered during the flooding, according to Chief Danny Lewis with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office, but is said to be improving.

The second victim of flood waters at Cummins Falls was a Hamilton County woman who, on a whim, sneaked into the park after dark to try to find the body of the victim.

The body of Lisa Michelle "Missy" Hillian of Sale Creek, 45, was unexpectedly found Thursday while rescue crews searched for McDaniel.

Hillian reportedly went to do her own search for McDaniel, but was not part of any official search crew, according to Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Keith Bean.

Putnam Assistant 911 Director Brandon Smith, who worked on scene command with the Putnam County Rescue Squad during the search efforts last week, said he didn't know of any connection between the two.

Hillian, a mother, was a national sales manager with CAS Iberia, which makes tactical swords and reenactment gear in Sale Creek. Her funeral will be held Wednesday in the chapel in Spring City.

"Missy loved the outdoors," her obituary reads. "Every day was an adventure, from hiking and motorcycling to skydiving and rescuing animals along the roadside. Missy's life was consumed with loving, caring and giving, and she left that footprint on every person she encountered."

McDaniel and Hillian are the fourth and fifth deaths at the falls since it became a state park five years ago.

Limited areas of the park have reopened following last week's tragedy.

Park and emergency officials have been looking for ways to make it safer, but one problem that Cummins Falls State Park Ranger Ray Cutcher has mentioned is how rainfall in north Cookeville affects the waterfall.

Photos of the falls from last Wednesday when the tragedy began show normal water conditions at 1:08 p.m. Then the flash flood of rushing water that trapped dozens and ultimately killed two was shown in a photograph 30 minutes later.

Cutcher said he's talking with emergency officials to possibly develop some type of warning system when it's raining in Cookeville but not raining several miles away at the falls — where all of that rainwater can end up.